The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for holding two or more gigabit interface converter (GBIC) connectors which are relatively closely spaced and in particular to providing multiple GBIC connectors to achieve efficient use of a panel area or other region.
Numerous types of connectors for providing coupling to cables, fiber optic lines, or other communication media are used in various electronic devices including network components or devices such as network routers, hubs, switches, bridges, gateways and the like. As needs for communication links and/or connectors having various characteristics arise, different connector configurations give rise to standards defining the shape and size of the connectors or their components. One such type of connector is termed a gigabit interface converter (GBIC). In accordance with published or defacto standards, the GBIC includes a face or opening region generally rectangular in shape, and having a size of approximately 1.2 inches by 0.3 inches (about 3 cm by 0.75 cm). This face region represents the region to which users typically will need or want to have access, such as for making connections. Accordingly, when a GBIC is to be part of an apparatus, such as a network router, the GBIC is positioned in the router such that the GBIC face region is accessible to the user. Typically, this involves positioning in a portion of an accessible surface of the router cabinet, such as preferably, the face plate of the router cabinet.
A number of published and/or de facto standards have emerged to define preferred shapes and sizes for many electronic components such as network routers. For example, particularly when a router is to be compatible with rack-mounting, it is desirable to provide the router cabinet with a face plate having size of about 1xc2xe inches by about 17xc2xd inches (about 4.5 cm by about 45 cm). Such a size is compatible with the so-called IRU form factor. When the face panel (or other surface) of an electronic device, such as a router, needs to have numerous components, such as numerous connectors, signal lights or other displays, switches and the like, it becomes important to make efficient use of the available surface area of the front panel (or other surface), particularly when it is desired for the front panel to be sized and shaped in accordance with the 1 RU form factor or other published or de facto standard (which limits the surface area available for such components). Accordingly, when a network router or other electronic component is to be provided with two or more GBICs, it would be useful to provide for mounting of the GBICs in a fashion which is achieves space efficiency of the face plates with respect to the two or more GBIC connectors.
When GBICs are mounted using GBIC frames for holding the GBICs, there are numerous costs and other advantages to employing GBIC frames which correspond to published or de facto GBIC frame standards. Accordingly, it would be useful to provide for mounting of two or more GBIC frames in a space-efficient manner substantially without requiring modification of a standard GBIC frame configuration.
As GBIC designs have emerged, many GBIC frames have been configured to accommodate a single GBIC and to accommodate mounting on or with respect to a circuitry component such as a printed circuit board (PCB), with a separate mounting device provided for each GBIC. It is believed that, in general, standard GBIC frame designs were developed at time periods when a single GBIC per router was considered adequate, even though more recently, if more than one GBIC connection is desired, the connectors are, typically, placed horizontally, side-by-side (providing relatively low density layouts, e.g. where panel space is not highly constrained). Current systems, however, make it increasingly useful to provide two or more GBICs in a router or other network device. Accordingly, it would be useful to provide a method and apparatus for mounting GBICs preferably using substantially standard GBIC frames, in a manner which is space-efficient.
Achieving closely-spaced mounting of two or more GBICs places constraints on the amount of volume defined between the GBICs (or otherwise in the vicinity of the GBICs). However, in a typical application, certain electronic components such as serializer-deserializer (xe2x80x9cSerDesxe2x80x9d) chips, should preferably be positioned relatively close to the GBICs such as within about four inches (about 10 cm), preferably within about 2 inches (5 cm), more preferably, about 1 inch (about 2.5 cm) or less.
In some designs, short signal paths can be difficult to implement. For example, relatively long signal paths may be necessary when such components are positioned on a PCB which is separate from the PCB to which the GBIC is mounted or otherwise directly coupled. Accordingly, it would be useful to provide a method and apparatus for mounting two or more GBICs in a space-efficient fashion while permitting the coupling of SerDes chips, or other electronic components to the GBICs with signal paths less than about 4 inches (about 10 cm), preferably less than about 2 inches (about 5 cm).
In many previous arrangements, one or more GBIC connectors were mounted directly (such as being soldered to) a mother board or other main circuit board. Such an arrangement, however, is generally infeasible when it is desired to position at least two stacked GBIC connectors within a 1 RU form factor height. However, there are typically substantial advantages to providing for connections which facilitate the fabrication or assembly of a router (or similar component) to reduce the material and/or labor cost involved in fabrication and accordingly reduce the overall cost of the electronic component. For example, techniques which require relatively high-accuracy (small-tolerance) positioning of components and/or which require installation of screws, rivets or similar connectors can undesirably add to the overall cost of the electronic device. Similar considerations make it advantageous to provide a device which is relatively inexpensive to maintain, repair, retrofit and the like. Accordingly, it would be useful to provide a method system and apparatus for close-positioning of GBIC connectors (such as providing at least two stacked GBIC connectors in a 1 RU form factor height) while achieving or facilitating relatively low fabrication or assembly expense, such as by reducing or avoiding the need for small-tolerance positioning and/or reducing the need for use of screws, rivets or similar separate connectors when installing the GBIC connectors in the electronic device.
In many embodiments, it is believed it will be useful or desirable to provide indicator lights or other signals (related to operation of the GBICs) on (or visible from) the front panel of the electronic device. In at least some configurations, the circuitry and/or LEDs for generating light signals are located on one or more circuit boards coupled to the GBICs and, in general, circuit boards coupled to GBICs are not positioned adjacent the front panel. Although it would at least theoretically be possible to mount indicator lights on a front panel and provide wiring from a circuit board to the front panel, this approach can undesirably add to the cost of manufacturing or fabricating an electronic device. Accordingly, it would be useful to provide a method system and apparatus for showing signal lights or other signals at the front panel of an electronic device for indicating GBIC functions or operations, preferably in the manner which is relatively inexpensive to design and/or fabricate.
The present invention includes a recognition of the existence, nature and/or origin of problems in previous approaches, including as described herein.
In one aspect, of the present invention, a holder or frame is provided for holding at least two closely spaced GBIC connectors so as to position the GBIC connectors such that their face regions fit within a 1 RU form factor height. In one aspect, the GBIC connectors and frame are not directly attached to the motherboard of the electronic device. In one aspect, a flex circuit, ribbon connector or similar flexible connector couples the GBICs or GBIC connector to a motherboard or other circuit board of the electronic device. By avoiding direct connection or mounting on the motherboard, there is a relatively large tolerance in the positioning of the GBIC connectors, with respect to the motherboard, so that assembly is facilitated and at least some of the cost of manufacturing can be reduced, compared to previous approaches. Preferably, the holder or frame can be coupled to the base or chassis of the electronic device while reducing or eliminating the need for separate screws or other couplings, such as by providing for resilient and/or snap-in positioning and/or holding of the GBIC frame or holder, with respect to the chassis or base. Preferably, the GBIC connectors are spaced in a manner to accommodate GBIC repeaters or other devices, within the GBIC connectors, which may have dimensions exceeding that of the GBIC connector openings, such as stacked GBIC repeaters, e.g., as described and depicted in application Ser. No. 09/330,733 (supra). Preferably such repeaters or similar devices can be accommodated even when positioned in identical (rather than back-to-back) orientations with respect to one another and/or preferably such that the repeaters or similar devices will not extend substantially (preferably, will not extend at all) above the top or bottom of a 1 RU form factor device.
In one aspect, a frame or similar structure is used for positioning two stacked GBIC connectors within a 1 RU form factor height of a router or similar network device. In one aspect, the frame can be constructed, assembled and/or mounted in the absence of a need for screws or similar connectors and/or tools. Hooks, latches, engaging teeth and the like can engage sections of a chassis base plate, to position the GBIC connectors preferably within a cutout formed in a motherboard. Use of a flex circuit for connecting the GBIC connectors to a motherboard avoids the requirement for high-precision placement for positioning.